New chairman of the Environmental Sustainability Alliance, Trevor Alkire has had a love for the environment since his early years living in Darmstadt, Germany.
Alkire, who moved to the U.S. in 2001, remembers a significant amount of time in Germany.

What inspired his environmental activism at WSU stems from the German public transportation system.

“The German train system is amazing because you can get anywhere in Germany, and it would have a low impact to the environment,” Alkire said.

Alkire said he hopes to bring what he remembers from Germany to his work here in Pullman.

Alkire is a senior engineering student and is passionate about making cities more sustainable and eco-friendly.

His plans for the future of ESA includes offering compensation for recycling reusable materials and replacing Styrofoam containers on campus.

His Styrofoam plan will be a team effort to replace all of the Styrofoam brought to WSU to limit the amount of non-environmentally-friendly material leaving the campus that ends up in landfills.

Students will not be held by this ban, they plan on making the ban primarily on materials coming to WSU by different companies.

Alongside a lot of other plans from the ESA, one that the organization is particularly excited for is a small mandatory student fee held at the beginning of the year. The fee will fund future ESA projects, but it also serves as a way for the entire campus to play a part in sustaining the environment.

William Dieffenbach, vice chairman of the Environmental Sustainability Alliance, said he believes Alkire stands out because of his different background and strong motivation for improving the environment.

“He has a strong understanding of the state of the environment and a vested interest in making it a better place,” Dieffenbach said. “His mindset is positive toward making a chance, which will help the club move in the right direction.”

Natalie Hauser, communication chair for ESA, said the group is under the umbrella of ASWSU. She said they work with registered student organizations and the community to promote sustainability at WSU.

Alkire has been involved in ASWSU for a year and was elected in a unanimous vote at the end of last school year.